Yoga Warrior Dolphin Retreat, Southern Mozambique

"Clara’s yoga retreat is fabulous - a perfect balance of activities and chilling out. Doing yoga on the deck feels sublime, with the soft setting sun and a warm breeze from the ocean. Something about our yogi energy must have spoken to the animals, as wild elephants crossed the vlei behind the lodge one day (first time in seven years) and the next morning we swam for an hour with about sixty dolphins in clear water with not a cloud in the sky above us.

Even without such remarkable experiences I’d recommend it… the sense of excitement of crossing the border into this wild space without roads, walking miles along the beach looking for turtles under a full moon, sleeping with the roar of waves just a few metres away, the view for miles from the sundowner hill, swimming, yoga and great people." James Delaney, Artist & Director of Moja Marketing

In March '07, Yoga Warrior escaped on another retreat to the wild coast of Southern Mozambique to swim with the dolphins and practice yoga with the setting sun. For Clara & Andrew who hosted the long weekend, the retreats become better and better, each one surpassing the one before with the fun that was had by the attendees and nature working with us to create memories that will last a lifetime. This retreat was over subscribed, and the exclusivity of Yoga Warrior being in this nature paradise alone added to the atmosphere of friendship and warmth created over our stay at Ponta Mamoli.

This dolphin retreat began in early March when the weather was still lovely and warm and the rains had passed away. It's always wonderful to reach Ponta Mamoli after the journey across the border & South Africa. You truly feel that you've escaped everything and arrived in a quiet paradise on the beach. Ponta Mamoli runs a slick operation not missing a beat in the balance of attending to their guests' needs but creating a casual home away from home atmosphere. This allows everyone to settle in very quickly.

The retreat began with yoga around the pool. Everyone was keen to join in, and revitalise their bodies after the journey. We started with a light fluid class that everybody could manage. Refreshed, we moved to aperitifs and dinner with everybody mingling and chatting to their fellow retreatees.

The next morning we went out at dawn with hope to find the dolphins. Each time I spy the dolphins from the boat, and they appear interested and receptive as they move towards the boat is such a thrill. As the dolphins break the water's surface, it is such a beautiful peaceful sight. On the first day everybody was lucky enough to see the dolphins, for many this was a special experience even if only seen from the boat. Others had the opportunity to snorkel with them which often turned into an interactive experience as the dolphins twirled around them. Going back to shore, breakfast tastes better after a morning on the ocean like this! Hungry and excited, as we ate we shared what we had seen in the ocean, some of us hungry for more.

The weekend continued with lots of hanging out chatting, reading and sleeping. There was also much more yoga, but not too much, just enough to loosen the muscles that were stressed, creating ease in the body and mind. There was also much more dolphin action. Much more! I'm not sure what to say about the energy that is present on my Yoga Warrior Dolphin Retreats but the dolphin encounters are absolutely incredible. I have never experienced the dolphins so curious in their droves to be with us and communicate. By the last day there were more dolphins with us than anyone could really count but the uniqueness of the entire dolphin experience was not lost on anyone. This had been a weekend of celebrating nature in all its glory: the power of the ocean, the life in the ocean and the luxury of being able to witness and enjoy the beauty of nature around us.

On the last night, the Ponta Mamoli crew took us up to a huge sand dune to watch the sun set over the west of Mozambique. I felt rather heady, my guests had been raving to me about the weekend having loved what they'd seen and done and the interesting people they'd met on their trip, 7 elephants had appeared across the way in the afternoon light, what a sight close to the Indian Ocean shore and then here we were gazing on another gorgeous sunset in Africa. Life is good. How thankful I am that life led me to this continent to live out my dream with my wonderful husband.